Grow Cedar Valley & The University of Northern Iowa Team up with Cedar Valley Businesses to Host 2019 Economic Conference: Creating Brave Spaces

posted on Thursday, August 29, 2019 in Grow Cedar Valley

CEDAR VALLEY OF IOWA – Grow Cedar Valley and the University of Northern Iowa are teaming up with Cedar Valley businesses to host the 2019 Economic Inclusion Conference: Creating Brave Spaces.  The conference will be held Friday, October 11 from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Diamond Event Center in Cedar Falls. The conference is open to the public, cost is $29, and pre-registration is required.

Attendance is encouraged for community leaders, human resources professionals, recruiters, educators and anyone invested in developing inclusion strategies for the Cedar Valley. This event will foster the exchange of new ideas and approaches for meaningful and impactful diversity and inclusion.

Focused around creating brave spaces, the conference will feature topics centered on authenticity, difference, inclusion and innovation as the keynote speaker, Joe Gerstandt (pictured right), combines artful storytelling with the latest research and science to successfully illustrate the importance of diversity and inclusion.

Keynote speaker, Joe Gerstandt, is a leader helping organizations understand diversity and inclusion. As a keynote speaker and consultant, he has worked with Fortune 500 companies, small non-profits, and everything in between, interweaving art and science using stories and research to illustrate how next generation cultures can flourish both inside and outside of the workplace.

There will also be several breakout sessions, facilitated by local diversity practitioners representing education, the private business sector, and community leaders   

“Economic inclusion is imperative to the successful growth of our Cedar Valley businesses and the community as a whole.  This conference encourages employers and all members of the community to recognize the importance of embracing best inclusion practices and removing workforce barriers so that anyone who wants to participate in the economy is given the opportunity,” states Cary Darrah, CEO and President of Grow Cedar Valley.

Attendees must register by Tuesday, October 1. For additional information or to register today visit www.growcedarvalley.com/cvinclusion19.

Thank you to all the event sponsors who help make this event possible. Premier Sponsor, Green State Credit Union; Platinum Sponsors, Diamond Event Center and Western Home Communities; Gold Sponsors, Cedar Valley Nonprofit Association, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, CUNA Mutual Group, KWWL, and Veridian Credit Union; Inclusion Partners, Cedar Valley Society for Human Resource Management, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa Workforce Development, and Waterloo Commission on Human Rights.

The following organizations are collaborating to plan the conference: University of Northern Iowa, Grow Cedar Valley, IowaWorks of Waterloo, The Waterloo Commission on Human Rights, the Cedar Falls Human Rights Commission, UNI Center for Violence Prevention, Infiniti Enterprises, and Legacy Branding and Events.